Seattle
Seattle is the largest city in the American state of Washington. It lies within Puget Sound northeast of the state capital of Olympia and the nearby city of Tacoma. It was invaded by the Soviet Union during World War III. World War III After the war's outbreak in the summer of 1989, the Soviet Union moved forth with its plans to conquer Europe in the hopes of preserving its crumbling union in the wake of economic turmoil. It immediately met resistance from its Western rival, the United States, which reinforced its NATO allies with thousands of troops and supplies, forcing the Soviets to back off in several key countries. Determined to make things difficult for the U.S.A., the Soviets agreed to initiate a limited invasion of the Contiguous United States in the hopes of distracting America's focus from Europe and preventing the REFORGER convoys from intervening overseas. They chose to invade the American West Coast, which was the most vulnerable region to a Soviet attack. Invasion The Soviets assembled a massive invasion force to occupy the lightly defended state of Washington, comprised of tens of thousands of troops and hundreds of tanks and helicopters. Maintaining the element of surprise, the Soviets sent the invasion force overseas in a massive convoy made up of dozens of civilian freighters as a means to deceive the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The ploy worked perfectly and the Soviet invaders wormed their way past the American fleet undetected towards the U.S. Upon arrival in the city of Seattle, the Soviets prepared to launch the invasion. When the Coast Guard demanded to know the identity of the unmarked container ships, the Soviets remained silent, prompting local authorities to investigate the fleet at the harbor. Upon arrival, a force of Soviet helicopter gunships fired on the police authorities, forcing them to retreat. With no American forces in the immediate vicinity, the Soviets unloaded their forces, who proceeded to invade Seattle largely unopposed. After their initial landing, a Soviet Commander said, "The vultures have been fed and the world has seen our might. Now, clear the skies," and ordered a crew of light anti-aircraft guns to fire upon the press and police helicopters, which immediately went up in flames. US forces tried to retaliate against the Soviet occupation. They sent a small force to retake several locations. After finding out what the Americans planned to do, they sent a large paratrooper force to combat them. One of the battles took place in a mall. Another at a restaurant. In short, they tried hard, but found out that it was still impossible to retake Seattle. They later decided to retreat. First Battle of Seattle Initially, the Soviets faced little resistance from their American foes, who fell into complete disarray in their attempts to mount a counterattack. They fortified the harbor front and quickly spread through the city. Thousands of paratroopers were deployed around the suburbs, further confusing the Americans. The civilians panicked and most of them desperately tried to flee the city or took cover in the nearest available shelters. The Seattle Police Department fought the invaders valiantly, but were hopelessly outgunned. The Washington National Guard finally mounted some forces to face the invaders, but they did not possess the means to retake Seattle. When Captain Mark Bannon was made commanding officer upon the first officer's death, he ordered all surviving units to instead focus on defending the fleeing civilian populace and delaying the Soviet advance in order to regroup. He did this in conjunction with Lieutenant Parker, whom he fought alongside with in Western Europe. The National Guard gathered intelligence on the Soviet invasion force and determined that all hopes of saving the city were lost, so they retreated to evacuate the civilians. After evacuating thousands of fleeing citizens, Colonel Jeremiah Sawyer assumed command and ordered a retreat to the suburbs. The Americans delayed the Soviet invaders long enough for many of Seattle's residents to flee to the countryside. They then destroyed the Soviets' access to said countryside in the hopes of isolating them until an effective attack could be mounted. Meanwhile, the President and the Joint Chiefs of Staff ordered all available units to move towards Washington. Under the Soviet Occupation Seattle was put under tight control after the Soviet Union occupied the city. A curfew was enforced in which no American citizen could walk the streets unless granted permission to do so by the Soviet authorities. Those who disobeyed the curfew, no matter how mild the offense, would be shot on the spot by patrolling guardsmen. The Soviets likely forced the local populace to quarter them and took advantage of Seattle's resources. The Seattle Police Department was stripped of its authority and all activities were to be directed by the Soviets. The Soviet Navy also tightened its grip on the harbor front. During the occupation, the U.S. Air Force conducted dozens of air raids against Soviet positions around the city in the hopes of softening up their defenses for the yet-unplanned counterattack. These air raids resulted in massive infrastructural damage around the city. Chinese Intervention Several weeks after the invasion, General Morgan informed that the People's Republic of China had just joined the war, aligning itself with the Soviet Union and declaring war on the United States. The Soviets wished to tighten their grip on Seattle and hoped to use it as an outpost to spread their sphere of influence across the Western states. The Chinese agreed to send a massive naval force to reinforce the Soviets already in Seattle, which would allow for an invasion of the entire country. The President was told that their only two options were to recall their forces in Europe to face the Chinese or to launch a nuclear strike on the city in hopes of annihilating the Chinese invaders. The first option was deemed impractical, yet the President was reluctant to destroy Seattle. So instead, he ordered all surviving battalions around Seattle to assault the city in an attempt to liberate before the Chinese arrived. The President would authorize a nuclear strike if the attack failed. Second Battle of Seattle Colonel Sawyer, Lieutenant Parker, and Major James Webb were selected to lead the assault, with Colonel Wilkins of the Oregon National Guard providing reinforcements. Assembling their battered forces, they pushed their way into the Seattle suburbs, assaulting Soviet positions along the way. They then secured several islands within Puget Sound, where several anti-ship defenses were installed to stall the Chinese fleet. The American forces pushed towards Seattle and eventually breached the defensive perimeter. They then assaulted downtown and fought through the heavily-defended harbor front, where the bulk of the Soviet Army was based. Despite sustaining severe losses and Major Webb being badly injured by a Soviet rifleman, the American forces were successful in breaking the Soviets' hold on the city. Unwilling to see the city being retrieved by the US, the Soviets later initiated a counterattack, which was quickly withheld. After this failed attempt, the Soviets were forced to retreat and the President called off the nuclear strike. The Chinese, lacking the equipment for an amphibious assault and also being outpowered, called off their attack and returned to China. Seattle had finally been liberated. Aftermath Seattle has suffered heavily from the Soviet occupation. Many civilians suffered and died at the hands of their Soviet occupiers, and many parts of the city lay in ruins as a result of the assault. There was enormous infrastructural damage, and many major landmarks, such as the Kingdome, were left in ruins. However, the others, such as the Space Needle, incredibly survived. Soviet stragglers still infest the suburbs and countryside, but the National Guard is in the process of dealing with them. Seattle will need extensive repairs after the end of the occupation to restore it to its prewar state. Notable residents *Lieutenant Parker *Levinson Family *Martha Thompson See also * Category:Locations